Review Summary: If you love a great Heavy Metal return story....here's your huckleberry
As a key component of a radical artistic movement that momentarily shone brightly in the early 90’s before imploding at the shoe gazing feet of the Grunge movement, Coroner helped spearhead a group of adventurous Death Metal bands who added a Jazzified Progressive element to their guttural grab bags before they all simultaneously ‘Bamfed” out of sight like Nightcrawler being swarmed by Sentinels. Names like Cynic, Atheist and Pestilence were trailblazers during a tumultuous time in music that clearly wasn’t quite ready for their heady experimentations; and just as they were all hitting their creative peaks…BOOM…they were gone without a trace. Much like the aforementioned bands here, Coroner has finally resurfaced after a lengthy hiatus (32 years…no biggie), hoping to return to a world that is ready to finally embrace their caustic brand of intellectual Progressive Thrash. To be fair, most of the comebacks that preceded this were minor triumphs, obviously less ground breaking, but solid matured versions of what came before. So perhaps that puts a little pressure on Coroner to deliver…perhaps not. What’s the verdict, your Honor? Let’s find out….
Well this tribe (of one) has spoken…and this is an absolutely fantastic Heavy Metal album! Dissonance Theory is both an organic extension AND a vast maturation of where Coroner were coming from back in the explosive pre-Grunge days. Call it a Holy Diver for the 2020’s, the bizarre meeting ground between Reign In Blood and South of Heaven, an Opeth/Gojira battle royal or whatever the hell you’d like, but to hear a project plucked from moth balls sounding this confident and competent after more than three decades on ice is pretty goddamn inspiring to me!
After a brief brooding intro of agitated guitar swells that make you think Coroner is about to break into “Raining Blood”, we get the descending skeletal guitar riff of “Consequence”, which gives a brief glimpse into the slightly off-kilter back catalog of these Swiss watchmakers. The meat of the matter is soon acknowledged however as a more straight ahead Thrash aesthetic is fulfilled that’s no frills and pummeling; pure forward motion to get the noggin’ nodding early on! The band smartly sprinkles in shifting dynamics, including a melodic interlude mid-song ala Opeth, letting the tightly wound flux catch its breath a bit before continuing to twist and churn. The chorus utilizes unique chord shapes that obtain a tense yet catchy mannerism that really accentuates the strong compositional flow. Throw in a lethal guitar lead and tight crisp production, as well as a truly dynamically subtle mix (from band leader Tommy Vetterli and Jen Bogren respectively) and you have a powerful lead off hitter putting the album in scoring position already. There is a strong Opeth/Gojira presence felt during the first two-thirds of “Sacrificial Lamb”, which is mountainous trek eliciting a meditative heaviness that is both towering yet oddly cathartic. The instrumental break that follows is perfectly placed to shake us from the song’s hypnotic grip, capping off the final act with a tasteful bounty of beautifully conceived axe work, up there with some of the best guitar solos I’ve ever heard (no joke)! Just breath taking stuff from the former Tommy Baron!
Delivering a classic of mid-paced driving Thrash meshed with abstract drum patterns and stuttering guitar/bass work, “Crisium Bound” is classic Coroner to the core. For some, the off-time rhythmic hiccups might not register, but for those with a slightly bent sense of groove, this is Grade-A progressive Metal; heavy and complex but never traveling too far outside the cosmos to lose the plot. “Symmetry” locks in a perfect balance between blast and class, Coroner once again connecting with a fairly standard compositional idea, delivering a straight forward Pit Filler that’s propelled by a highly caffeinated drum performance from sole “newbie” Diego Rapacchietti (who is fantastic throughout). This track seems to cement a strong adherence to Coroner positioning Dissonance Theory’s overall Headbangable groove slightly above the more experimental side roads they are apt to take. But not so fast…
“The Law” comes walking through the door as a welcomed departure from the mainlined blitzkrieg that’s come before, actually opening to a vista of beautifully rendered instrumentation that has a strong sense of darkly lit Grunge deep within its deconstruction. The verse riffs kick things up a notch with an unconventional choppiness being accentuated by Rapacchietti’s militant drum work and Ron “Royce” Broder’s barked vocals adding just enough extra angst to the ledger. The chorus is a deep well of dense minimalist chest pounding that is chillingly simple yet effective. And then about half-way in, the song hangs a sharp left into (more) Reign In Blood-era Slayer vibes…and I’m totally here for it! “Transparent Eye” is a vastly dynamic track that further highlights the beautifully melodic sounds that Coroner is able to shade over cresting Metal waves. The verse is pure Meshuggah worship….insidious and crushingly cool jabs to the throat. When the dam finally bursts and this goes into a gripping wall-of-sound head trip…the pinnacle of the album is crowned….and then just for fun, Vetterli throws in a chef’s kiss melodic guitar lead and some Proggy Dream Theater groove to close things out. Bravo!
The final third of Dissonance Theory is equal to the task of matching the rest, ending things up with one final curve ball in the Hammond Organ flailing hyperactivity of (near) instrumental closer, “Prolonging”. It’s a fitting finale to an album that embraces multiple eras of music, Coroner clearly taking inspiration from bands that they themselves once inspired, and then bringing it full circle to an early 70’s Prog freakout. If you love a great comeback story like I do, give “Dissonance Theory” a spin (or three). If it doesn’t give you the same thrill of both nostalgic and modern quality Heavy Metal that it did me, well sucks to be you I guess. This will be proudly perched somewhere in my Top 10 for 2025! Welcome back, Coroner! Great to see you again!
